sionary, whom we were going to convey to Darnley Island, appeared
on board, it was blowing a strong gale of wind nearly dead in our
teeth, and the voyage did not offer a very cheerful prospect. As we
had made all arrangements, we thought it better to proceed. At
half-past six we started, and, passing Ninepin Rock and Saddle Island,
soon found ourselves in a channel full of reefs, rocks, islands,
islets, and dangers seen and unseen, which made the navigation an
anxious task for Tom. He was ably assisted by Mr. Milman. It was a
most unpleasant morning, and, keeping quietly down in my berth, I
think I was better off than some of those on deck. After passing
Ninepin and Saddle Islands, and the three island-sisters, Poll, Bet,
and Sue, we made Cocoa-nut Island, one of the few high islands we have
seen to-day. During the afternoon the navigation continued to be
intricate, but shortly after sunset we made York Islands, under the
lee of the larger of which we anchored for the night in tolerably
sheltered water. The York Islands are two in number, connected with
each other at low water by a sandy spit. A semicircular reef four
miles long and nearly two miles broad extends along the south side of
the islands, the larger of which is one and a half mile long, and lies
towards the western end of the reef, while the other is on its
north-eastern extremity. There are only two white men living on York
Islands; one is an English gentleman, and the other bears the name of
Yankee Ned. He is the proud possessor of a telescope which, he
declares, belonged either to Captain Cook or Admiral La Perouse. It
bears marks of great antiquity, but there is no name or descriptive
mark to show that it ever really was used by such distinguished
navigators. These two men have a very large beche-de-mer station here,
which they manage with the aid of some natives, and make over
1,000_l._ a year out of it.

_Friday, August 26th._--The wind was blowing stronger than ever to-day
at daylight. We got under weigh at six as prearranged, but were no
sooner out of the shelter of the island than Tom came to ask if it
would not be better, on my account, to turn back, for we should have
fifty miles or more beating dead in the wind's eye to Murray Island,
besides which the weather was so thick that we should have some
difficulty in seeing the unsurveyed coral reefs through which we must
pass. The only objection to this course was that we had promised to
convey Mrs. H